Tool for spreading tubes of water-tube boilers



july 7. 1925.

P. HEELY TOOL FOR SPREADING TUBES OF WATER vTUBE BOILERS Filed April 18. 1922 ee :95% {Zwmwjaidf//M Patented July 7, 1925.

UNITED STATES lPATRICK HEELY, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TOOL FOR SPREADING TUBES OF WATER-TUBE BOILEVR'S.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 555,502.

To all whom may cof/wcm:

Be it known that I, PATRICK Hierin', a

citizen of the United States, residing atv Brooklyn, inthe county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new Aand usefull Improvements in a ,Tool for Spreading Tubes of Water-Tube Boilers, of which the followingv is a specification.

My invention relates to a tool that is used l derstood by reference to said drawing which for spreading tubes of water tubel boilers and its main object is to provide an improved tool of 'thischaracter by means of which tubes may be lspread to the proper eX- tent for Ythe introduction or removal of firebrick between the tubes thus spread. The tool is particularly adaptedl for inserting between sets-of tubes sov as to spread them apart suliiciently for permitting the particular shaped fire brick to be properly placed in position between the several rows of pipe or tubes in front of the baffle-plates. As is well known, thetubes of the boiler pass through baille-plates which are protected from the direct action of the intense heat of the furnace by fire bricks of a very refractory material, these'iire bricks being so shaped as to fill the spaces between the several tubes, and being generally identical in contour and construction to fill a substantially diamond-sliaped spacelbetween 'four adjacent water tubes and lying in close contact with adjacent fire bricks filling other similar spaces. In order to insert or remove a fire brick between the several sets of tubes of the boiler, the herein described tool will readily spread the set of tubesra sufficient distance to. enable a workman to insert a lire-brick in theshaped space, without in any way cutting or weakening'such fire-brick and without pleaving an opening between adjacent fire-bricks. The fire-bricks are inserted into position by a special tool made for this purpose and whichv is used in connection with the spreader.V Such tool for applying the fire-brick into position forms another application.

The present invention is an improvement upon that disclosed in a patent granted to me, No. 808,920 of January 2nd, 1906, and a patent of continuation granted December 20, 1910, No. 979,162, both of which disclose a spreadingtool adapted to permit ythe spreading. of water'ftubes of boilers at a suitable .pointin advance ofthe baille plate, and particularly to a tool for both spreading the tubes Aand holding them in. their spread 'which terminate at such union.

positions while a fire-brick is being inserted or removed. u With these and' other objects in view, the improvement consistsV in the construction combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter ymore fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and pcinted out in the claims.v

My improvement will be more clearlyunillustrates merely an example of means for putting my improvement into practice, and wherein;

F ig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a tubespreading tool, showing the 'several faces partly spread as theyV would bewhen inserted between tubes of' the boiler;

Fig. 2 is-an edge view looking from right to left; y

.F ig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 2-21of Ifig. 1 when the jaws are in their closed position; and

Fig. 4 is a detached detail of the-floating plunger. Y

The essential element of the spreader is the head. In this particular case, the head comprises three essential parts, first an outer andA inner head that are telescopically assembled together, and having a spring element for holding the heads normally closed, which will be later explained. My improved two side walls 6 and 7 and at the center is provided with areinforcement 8 and 9, ex-

tending the length of the head. The side walls 6 and 7 are reinforced by an operating face 10 and 11, which terminates in the reinforcement 8 and 9, and which ltogether with the other parts, forms ya very strong single member of thehead. To the inside of the reinforcement 8 and 9 are grooves 12 and 13, which extend from the top of the head to the lower part, as shown in Fig. 1. The side walls and operating faces 10 and 11 eX- tend to the neck 14Y where it bulges out in a union connection 15. The whole head thus far described consists of two spaced walls The latter may be internally screw threaded at 16 and has a shoulder 17 provided at the upper end. A communicating passage 18 connects the upper space with the interior of thejunion.

The cooperating head member or inner member 19 is also a casting and lits between the walls 6 and 7 and is slidably operated therebetween. Said member 19 has an arm, the upperendiof'which carries on each side a reinforced rib 21 and 22 (Figure 3) which lits into grooves or ways 12 and 13, which not only strengthens said member 19 where the greatest amount` of strain is sustained by such a tool, but acts as a guide for said member when being raisedV or lowered. rlhis second head has operating faces 23 and 241, whichaextend: outwbeyond the. body portion of the head, and not only forms a good holdfingface for; .the tooljagain-st theV tube, but presentstwheniin its closed position, a' prac- .lticallyifsmooth'surface. The operating faces 23,:and/24 aresustained by..a-web or brace y251and26 iwhich'vwithv thev ribs 21 and 22, provide a verycdesirable toolr that maybe relied'zupon lto'fdoy the work. 'for which it is designedfwith the reliability required. The thirdzsimportant improvement of the head of my."tubespreading :tool as before noted, is the depending stem 27, carried by the in- .nerhead 19,` said z stem: extending .down- -wardly through theunion connection 15 and through..vr gland `Lor washer 2. TheV lower endof said. stem has a heavy spring 23 se- 'cured ..thereon, its upper end pressing against the gland or washer 27', and the other .endaagainfst awasher, 29, heldin place -by ailoclr nut'30.l iThus it will be seen that the power o1n the spring at all times will be closed, thereby preventing the heads from Abeingin any other than-a closed position. vSecured to :the union connection 15 is a tubular handle. 31,-whichis Iseated in a termi- -nalor vblock 32 within which is also housed a-suitably threaded bolt 33, its outer eX- tendingwend a-having a suitable head 311, which maybe provided with openings 35 for the insertion omeans for turning it arount., `or-'it mayk be provided with outwardly eX- .ftendin'g fingers'for the purpose. 'Either of these means :rare `common expedients 'for turning the screw manually.- 1 Intermediate between. the end` of theistem. 27. and the bolt .33 is :afi-floating plunger or 'reeyand unatvltached transmitting block 36, by means of which any pressure that may be exerted on it by ,the screw 33'will Iforce the stem 27 up- `ward` a1id.therebyV open the twoheads, as

Y shownin'Fig. 1,'andl consequently if itwere inserted-betweenl pipes or tube boilers,.it

.would necessarily separate them also, rthe bosses20'and21 acting as guides as the 'inner head moves upwardly.

. In accordance. with ltheg'provisions oi the patent statutesf l have herein described the kprinciple of. .my invention lor improvement, which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have `it understood, that the various forms menitioned: are only illustrative and that the rspreading tool can be designed-in other ways other .than those :.described,v but all are in- 1. A tool for spreading tubes and the like,

comprising outer andl inner heads-movable i' relatively and` fitted telescopically together, a handleurigidly connected `with one headaa rod on the other headiprojected slidablymto Also, while the general design oitV the handle, resilientimeans within the han- Y dle acting on vsaid rod to draw the heads together ltoa vclosed position,- and meansearried by the? handle foruiorcing the yheads apart to Ya desired degree.

V2. 'A toolV for spreading tubes and )the like, comprising anhandle, an. outer head' rigid withuthe handle :and 'having side walls,.an innerl head telescopically: received between said side walls and'adapted to project-.beyond the side walls `for engaging tubes, a rod Vconnected to said, inner head. and` slidably mounted throughthe handle, means in the handle actingI against: the handleand said rod to normally draw the innerxhead into the outer head, and means carredby the handle for forcing' the inner head outwardly without regard to the action of'said means. suchnasA to hold the Vtwo heads normally 3. A tool for spreading tubesy and the like, comprisinga handle, an: outer head rigid with the handle. and having substantially parallel spacedA side walls, an inner head telescoping within the walls of theouter head, a rod carrying.- saidV inner head and being slidablymounted inthe handle,means acting against said rod and-the handlefor drawing the inner head entirely home within the walls of the outer head, a screw mount- -ed inV thehandle, and' a floating member between said screw and the'rod.

4.. `Avtoolor spreading tubes and the like, comprising an outer head having side walls with grooves therein, an inner head slidable 4and telescoping withirespect to said outer head and having ribsV for sliding in the .grooves insaid walls, ahandle: for carrying Said heads, means for normally andriyieldably f drawing the heads together, and means :carried by the handle for independently and adjustably moving the heads apart.

5. A tool for spreading tubes, comprising a tubular handle,ian outerhead .secured removably to one end ofA said tubular. handle,

said head provided with inner working surfaces and with substantially parallel-spaced Vwalls projecting outwardlyat substantially rightv angles from said workingvv` surfaces, ,said walls .having grooves. extendingV substantially'co-axial withv the handle, an inner head having ribs slidablyv received jinithe grooves, said inner head provided with webs adaptedy to Y:be received between Vthe :walls: of

ILD

the outer head, fianges at the outer sides of of the outer head, a tubular oating piston the Webs affording an outer working surface in said handle separate from said stem and and adapated to Overlap theouter ends 0f adapted'to abut thereagainst, and a -screW 10 said Walls, a stem projecting inwardly from carried by the handleV and engaging against 5 said inner head and slidable Vin the tubular the 0PP0$1 @Dd 0f Said lOatIlg pS t0IL handle, a, C011 Spring Wound about Said Stem In teStlHlOIly Whel'eOf I X my Slgnat'lll'e. for urging the inner head within said Walls PATRICK HEELY. 

